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LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 

RECEIVED    BY  EXCHANGE 


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AN  ACCOUNT 

OF   THE 

CELEBRATION 

OF   THE 

FIRST    SEMI-CENTENNIAL    ANNIVERSARY 

OF   THE   INCORPORATION   OF 

COLUMBIA    COLLEGE, 

BY  THE  LEGISLATURE  OF  NEW-l'ORK ; 
WITH  THE 

ORATION   AND   POEM 

DELIVERED  ON  THE  OCCASION. 


1  Antiquam  exquirite  Matrem." 


NEW-YORK  : 
G.    &    C.    CARVILL    &    CO. 

1837. 


EXCHANGE 


AN    ACCOUNT,  &c 


On  the  thirty-first  of  October,  1754,  a  royal  charter 
passed  the  great  seal  of  England  for  incorporating 
"Kings  College  in  the  city  of  New- York;"  from 
which  period  the  existence  of  the  present  College  is 
properly  to  be  dated.  But  in  the  course  of  the  revo- 
lutionary war,  the  institution  was  almost  entirely  bro- 
ken up,  and  it  was  several  years  subsequent  to  the 
peace  before  it  was  fully  restored. 

In  May,  1784,  all  the  public  seminaries  of  learning 
in  the  state  were,  by  an  act  of  the  legislature,  placed 
under  the  government  of  a  corporate  body,  styled  "the 
Regents  of  the  University,"  who  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  regulate  the  affairs  of  this,  the  only  College 
then  existing  in  the  state,  the  name  of  which  was,  by 
the  same  act,  changed  to  "  Columbia  College." 

This  arrangement,  however,  was  merely  temporary, 
the  College  continuing  under  the  immediate  superin- 
tendence of  the  Regents  no  longer  than  until  the  thir- 
teenth of  April,  1787,  on  which  day  the  legislature 
passed  an  act,  restoring  and  confirming  the  original 
charter,  with  such  alterations  as  the  change  of  govern- 


217940 


ment,  and  other  intervening  circumstances,  had  ren- 
dered necessary  and  proper.  It  was  the  fiftieth  Anni- 
versary of  this  event  that  was  celebrated  on  the  thir- 
teenth of  April,  1837,  in  pursuance  of  the  proceedings 
and  resolutions  which  follow,  viz. : 

At  a  meeting  of  the  students  of  Columbia  College, 
held  on  Saturday,  October  29th,  1836,  in  the  chapel  of 
that  institution,  to  take  into  consideration  the  propriety 
of  celebrating  the  semi-centennial  Anniversary  of  Alma 
Mater,  Jesse  A.  Spencer  was  elected  President,  John 
L  Tucker  and  Benjamin  T.  Kissam,  Vice-Presidents, 
and  Samuel  Blatchford,  Secretary. 

The  object  of  the  meeting  being  duly  stated,  it  was 
moved  that  a  committee  of  eight  be  appointed,  (con- 
sisting of  two  from  each  class,)  to  draw  up  and  bring 
before  this  meeting  such  resolutions,  as  may  best  ex- 
press its  sentiments  with  regard  to  the  proposed  mea- 
sure. 
Whereupon  the  following  gentlemen  were  appointed  : 


Sophomore  Class. 
G.  Anthon, 
W.  Green. 

Freshman  Class. 

L.  Hoyt, 
W.  Romaine. 


Senior  Class. 
Nathaniel  W.  Chittenden, 
Henry  P.  Fessenden. 

Junior  Class. 

Mancer  M.  Backus, 
George  T*  Strong. 

The  committee,  having  retired,  returned,  and  offered 
the  following  preamble  and  resolutions,  which  were 
unanimously  adopted. 

Whereas,  on  the  thirteenth  day  of  April  next,  fifty 
years  will  have  elapsed  since  the  state  of  New- York 
conferred  on  this  College  the  title  and  privileges  of  a 
free  and  literary  institution — privileges  which  can  only 
be  enjoyed   under  a  liberal  and  enlightened  govern- 


ment,  and  which  can  be  merited  only  so  long  as  the 
recipient  of  them  continues  to  repay  with  commensu- 
rate benefits : 

Whereas,  during  that  short  period,  this  institution 
has  included  among  her  foster-children  those,  whose 
intellectual  attainments,  sustained  by  a  high  moral  tone 
of  character,  have  been  made  the  ardent  promoters  of 
the  public  weal  and  of  national  respect : 

And  whereas,  the  measure  is  due  to  the  talents,  the 
efficiency,  and  the  reputation  of  the  Trustees  and 
Faculty  of  this  College,  as  well  as  to  our  own  feelings  of 
veneration  and  attachment  to  Alma  Mater : 

Resolved,  That  in  a  semi-centennial  Anniversary  of 
Columbia  College  we  see  a  measure  due  alike  to  the 
sacred  cause  of  literature  and  of  freedom;  since 
she  has  ever  been  among  the  foremost  in  developing 
the  intellect  of  our  country — fostering  its  early  days, 
and  strengthening  its  maturer  years ;  thus  intimately 
blending  her  own  history  with  the  progress  of  the  libe- 
ral principles  and  sound  knowledge  of  the  land. 

Resolved,  That  we  deem  this  celebration  due  to  the 
high  character  of  this  institution  itself,  which  has  num- 
bered among  its  sons  a  Hamilton,  a  Jay,  and  a  Clinton — 
men  the  most  conspicuous  for  moral  and  intellectual 
elevation ;  that  we  perceive  in  the  contemplated  mea- 
sure one  that  will  tend  directly  to  make  our  Alma 
Mater  more  widely  known,  and  establish  more  fixedly 
her  claims  to  the  profound  respect  and  veneration  of 
all ;  that  will  give  increased  action,  if  possible,  to  her 
every  movement,  cause  her  to  be  fully  and  rightly  ap- 
preciated, and  finally  place  her  more  firmly  upon  that 
lofty  station,  to  which  her  long  standing,  and  the  wis- 
dom, talents,  and  learning  of  her  President  and  Profes- 
sors so  eminently  entitle  her. 


Resolved,  That  we  consider  the  proposed  Anniver- 
sary as  an  event  having  peculiar  reference  to  the  nu- 
merous and  distinguished  body  of  Alumni  of  this  Col- 
lege ;  in  that  it  will  draw  them  together  from  afar  and 
near,  and  awaken  in  their  bosoms  all  the  better  feel- 
ings of  our  nature  ;  and  that,  closely  united  by  the 
electric  chain  of  a  common  love,  they  will  surround 
their  venerable  Alma  Mater,  and  do  her  such  honour  as 
the  highest  merit  can  deserve,  or  the  warmest  feelings 
of  gratitude  prompt. 

Resolved,  therefore,  and  in  conclusion,  That  we  will, 
by  and  with  the  approval  and  co-operation  of  the  Fa- 
culty, hold,  on  the  thirteenth  day  of  April,  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven,  the  first  semi-centennial  Anniversary  of  Colum- 
bia College. 

It  was  then  moved  that  a  standing  committee  of 
twelve  be  appointed,  consisting  of  three  from  each 
class ;  upon  which  committee  shall  devolve  the  general 
management  of  the  necessary  steps  in  the  proposed 
celebration,  and  who  shall  be  instructed  by  the  present 
meeting  to  convene  an  assembly  of  all  the  students  at 
such  time  or  times  as  the  progress  of  affairs  may  re- 
quire, and  then  and  there  to  make  such  a  report  of  pro- 
ceedings as  the  circumstances  of  the  case  shall  dictate. 

The  following  gentlemen  were  accordingly  appoint- 
ed: 


Senior  Class. 
Nathaniel  W.  Chittenden. 
J.  Mc  Mullen,  Jr., 
H.  P.  Fessenden. 


Junior  Class. 
Mancer  M.  Backus, 
George  T.  Strong, 
E.  Anthony. 


Sophomore  Class. 

W.  Green, 
J.  R.  Brown, 
P.  K.  Paulding. 


Freshman  Class. 

L.  Hoyt, 

O.  Hoffman,  Jr., 

J.  W.  Depeyster. 


The  meeting  then  adjourned. 

Jesse  A.  Spencer,  President. 

John  I.  Tucker,      >  T*.      0      . , 
n      9     m  ir  .  J  Vice- r  residents. 

J3enj  n.   I  .  KlSSAM,    ) 

Samuel  Blatchford,  Secretary. 


New-York,  November  4tht  1836. 
To  the  Faculty  of  Columbia  College: — 

Gentlemen, — Enclosed  is  a  copy  of  the  resolutions 
unanimously  adopted  by  the  students  belonging  to  this 
institution,  at  a  full  meeting,  held  on  Saturday,  October 
29th,  1836,  to  take  into  consideration  the  propriety  of 
celebrating  the  semi-centennial  Anniversary  of  Alma 
Mater. 

These  resolutions  are  herewith  respectfully  sub- 
mitted for  your  approval ;  and,  that  due  speed  may  be 
had,  it  is  earnestly  solicited  that  your  decision  be  made 
known  at  as  early  a  day  as  possible. 

N.  W.  Chittenden, 
Chairman  of  the  Standing  Committee. 


Col  Coll.,  November  bth,  1836. 
Sir, 

Your  communication,  as  chairman  of  the  standing 
committee,   appointed  at  a   general   meeting  of  the 


i 

students  of  this  College,  held  to  take  into  consider- 
ation  the  propriety  of  holding  a  semi-centennial  Anni- 
versary of  the  College,  has,  in  compliance  with  your 
request,  been  laid  before  the  Faculty,  together  with  the 
resolutions  which  it  enclosed. 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  inform  you,  that  those 
resolutions  have  met  the  entire  approbation  of  the  Fa- 
culty, and  that  I  am  authorized  to  assure  you  of  their 
prompt  and  cheerful  co-operation  in  carrying  them 
into  effect.  Permit  me,  also,  to  add  my  personal  assu- 
rance of  the  satisfaction  it  will  afford  me  to  assist  you, 
from  time  to  time,  with  my  advice,  upon  such  points  as 
you  may  require  it. 

I  remain, 
Your  obedient  serv't., 

W.  A.  Duer, 
Prest.  Col  Coll 
Mr.  N.  W.  Chittenden,   Chairman,  fyc. 


At  a  stated  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Columbia  College, 
held  on  the  5th  day  of  November,  1836,  Present — the 
President ;  Professors  Mc Vickar,  Anthon,  Renwick,  and 
Anderson.  A  communication  was  received  from  a  com- 
mittee appointed  by  a  meeting  of  the  students,  held,  by 
permission  of  the  President,  in  the  chapel,  on  Saturday 
last,  enclosing  certain  resolutions  relating  to  the  cele- 
bration of  the  semi-centennial  Anniversary  of  the  in- 
corporation of  the  College,  and  submitted  to  the  board 
for  their  approbation — whereupon, 

Resolved,  That  the  board  approve  of  the  object  of 


9 

said  resolutions,  and  will  co-operate,  as  requested,  in 
carrying  them  into  effect. 

Extract  from  the  minutes. 

Robert  G.  Vermilye,  A.  M., 

Secretary  to  the  Board. 


New-York,  November  17th,  1836. 

*    To  the  Executive   Committee  of   the  Society  op 
Alumni  of  Columbia  College  : 

Gentlemen, — Herewith  are  respectfully  submitted 
for  your  consideration,  the  proceedings  of  the  Students 
of  Columbia  College,  on  the  proposed  measure  of  hold- 
ing a  semi-centennial  Anniversary  of  Alma  Mater. 
N.  W.  Chittenden, 
Chairman  of  the  Standing  Committee. 


November  23d,  1836. 
My  Dear  Sir, 

As  secretary  of  the  committee  appointed  by  the 
Alumni  for  the  purpose  of  celebrating  the  first  semi- 
centennial Anniversary  of  Alma  Mater,  I  enclose  to 
you  a  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Alumni  Association,  and  also  a  copy  of 
the  minutes  of  a  meeting  of  the  Alumni,  held,  with  re- 
ference to  this  design,  on  November  26th. 

Accept  my  assurance  that  the  Alumni  are  disposed 
to  do  every  thing  in  their  power  to  accomplish  the  de- 
2 


10 

sign,  in  a  manner  as  creditable  to  themselves  and  to 
you,  as  it  will  be  to  the  College. 

I  have  the  honour  of  being, 
Yours,  truly, 

G.    W.    HlLLYER, 

Secretary  of  Committee  of  Alumni. 
Nath.  W.  Chittenden,  Esq. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  standing  committee  of  the  Alum- 
ni, on  November  23d,  1836,  the  proceedings  of  the 
Students  and  Faculty  of  the  College,  relative  to  a 
semi-centennial  Celebration,  were  read,  and  it  was 
thereupon 

Resolved,  That  a  meeting  of  the  Alumni  be  called 
for  Saturday,  November  25th,  at  1\  P.  M.,  in  the  Pre- 
sident's room,  to  take  this  subject  into  consideration. 

(Signed,)  T.  R.  Green,  Secretary. 


Extract  from  the  minutes  of  the  Special  Meeting,  so  called. 

On  motion,  it  was 

Resolved,  That  we  heartily  approve  of  the  design  of 
celebrating  the  semi-centenniary  of  Columbia  College. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  29  be  appointed  to 
confer  with  the  students  on  the  proposed  celebration, 
with  full  power  to  co-operate  with  them  in  carrying 
the  same  into  effect. 


11 


Resolved,  That  the  following  gentlemen  constitute 
such  committee : 


Gen.  E.  W.  Laight, 
Egbert  Benson, 
Dr.  James  R.  Manly, 
James  J.  Watson, 
Dr.  John  W.  Francis, 
Rev.  Mr.  Forbes, 
%  Samuel  Guilford, 
Hamilton  Morton, 
Peter  J.   Townsend, 
William  Walton, 
Robert  J.  Dillon, 
Samuel  Ward,  Jr., 
Edward  Slosson, 
William  Heard, 

Giles  M. 


Hon.  G.  C.  Verplanck, 
Prof.  James  Renwick, 
Sylvanus  Miller, 
Timothy  R.  Green, 
Dr.  Samuel  W.  Moore, 
William  Inglis, 
Matthew  C.  Patterson, 
Hamilton  Fish, 
Rev.  Isaac  Ferris, 
Beverly  Robinson,  Jr., 
Henry  J.  Ruggles, 
Henry  Nicoll, 
William  J.  Johnson, 
Isaac  C.  Delaplaine, 
Hillyer. 


And,  finally, 

Resolved,  That  Mr.  G.  M.  Hillyer  be  secretary  of 
the  said  committee,  and  call  a  meeting  of  the  same  on 
Wednesday,  November  30th,  1836. 


(Signed,) 


T.  R.  Green,  Secretary. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  committee,  held  in  accordance 
with  the  last  resolution,  a  sub-committee  of  nine  was 
appointed,  with  full  power  to  carry  the  design,  thus 
approved  by  the  Alumni,  into  effect. 


12 

The  following  gentlemen  were,  on  motion,  appointed 
such  committee  : 

Hon.  G.  C.  Verplanck,  Timothy  R.  Green, 

Chairman.  Henry  Nicoll, 

Rev.  Mr.  Forbes,  Robert  J.  Dillon, 

Dr.  James  R.  Manly,  Edward  Slosson, 

James  J.  Watson,  Giles  M.  Hillyer. 

Giles  M.  Hillyer,  Secretary. 


New-York,  December  5th,  1836. 

To  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Columbia  College  : 

Gentlemen, — It  is  proposed  to  celebrate  the  semi- 
centennial Anniversary  of  Alma  Mater.  Certain  steps 
have  been  taken  in  regard  to  the  contemplated  mea- 
sure. All  these  are  herewith  most  respectfully  sub- 
mitted for  your  sanction  and  furtherance. 

N.  W.  Chittenden, 
Chairman  of  the  Standing  Committee, 
on  the  part  of  the  Students  of  Col.  Coll. 


At  a  stated  meeting  of  the  Trustees  of  Columbia 
College,  on  Monday,  the  5th  of  December,  1836 — 

A  communication  was  received  from  a  committee  of 
the  students,  in  relation  to  celebrating  a  semi-centen- 
nial Anniversary  of  the  College.     Whereupon, 

Resolved,  That  this  board  do  highly  approve  of  the 
said  object,  and  that  a  committee  be  appointed,  on  the 
part  of  this  board,  to  carry  it  into  effect. 

Resolved,   That  Mr.  Jay,  (the  chairman,)  President 


13 

Duer,  Mr.  Hoffman,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Knox,  and  Mr.  King, 
be  the  said  committee. 

Extract  from  the  minutes. 

Clement  C.  Moore,  Clerk. 
December  6th,  1836. 


At  a  joint  meeting  of  the  committees  appointed  by 
the  Trustees,  Alumni,  and  Students,  in  relation  to  the 
first  semi-centennial  Anniversary  of  Columbia  College, 
held  in  the  President's  room,  on  Saturday,  January 
14th,  1837,  Peter  A.  Jay,  LL.  D.,  was  called  to  the 
chair,  and  Giles  M.  Hillyer,  A.  B.,  appointed  Secretary. 
On  motion  of  G.  C.  Verplanck,  LL.  D.,  it  was 

Resolved,  unanimously,  That  the  first  semi-centen- 
nial Anniversary  of  our  Alma  Mater  be  celebrated  by 
an  Oration  and  a  Poem,  or  Odes  appropriate  to  the 
occasion,  the  Orator  and  Poets  to  be  selected  from  the 
number  of  her  Alumni ;  that  the  College  building  be 
illuminated  in  the  evening,  and  that  the  hall,  library, 
and  chapel,  be  fitted  up,  and  thrown  open  for  the  re- 
ception of  the  Trustees,  the  Faculty,  the  Alumni,  the 
Students,  and  their  respective  families,  with  such  others 
as  may  be  invited  by  the  President,  including  stran- 
gers of  distinction,  the  literati,  members  of  learned 
associations,  &c-. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  arrangements  be  ap- 
pointed, consisting  of  President  Duer  and  Mr.  Charles 
King,  on  the  part  of  the  Trustees ;  Messrs.  Gulian  C. 
Verplanck,  James  J.  Watson,  and  Giles  M.  Hillyer, 
on  the  part  of  the  Alumni,  and  Messrs.  Nathaniel  W. 
Chittenden  and  M..M.  Backus,  on  the  part  of  the  Stu- 


14 

dents,  with  full  power  to  carry  the  above  objects  into 
effect,  and  to  invite  the  attendance  of  two  or  more  of 
the  clerical  Alumni  to  assist  in  the  religious  ceremo- 
nies of  the  day. 

Peter  A.  Jay,  Chairman. 
G.  M.  Hillyer,  Secretary. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  Committee  appointed  to  make 
arrangements  for  the  celebration  of  the  first  semi- 
centennial Anniversary  of  Columbia  College,  held  on 
the  18th  of  January,  1837 — President  Duer  in  the 
chair — 

Resolved,  That  the  Reverend  Manton  Eastburn,  D.  D., 
be  requested  to  deliver  the  Oration  on  the  ensuing 
Anniversary. 

Resolved,  That  William  Betts,  A.  M.,  be  requested 
to  compose  and  recite  a  Poem  on  the  same  occasion. 

Resolved,  That  Professor  Anthon  be  requested  to  fur- 
nish a  Greek  Ode,  William  C.  Russel,  A.  M.,  a  Latin 
Ode,  and  William  Duer,  A.  B.,  an  English  Ode,  in  cele- 
bration of  the  day. 

Resolved,  That  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Onderdonk, 
of  Pennsylvania,  the  Right  Rev.  Bishop  Kemper,  the 
Rev.  Philip  Milledoler,  D.  D.,  and  the  Rev.  Philip  F. 
Mayer,  D.  D.,  be  requested  to  participate  in  the  reli- 
gious solemnities  of  the  day. 

W.  A.  Duer,  Chairman. 

G.  M.  Hillyer,  Secretary. 

Mem.  Answers  were  subsequently  received  to  the 
applications  severally  made  to  the  right  reverend 
gentlemen  above  named,  expressing  their  approbation 


15 

of  the  proposed  celebration,  and  regretting  that  their 
episcopal  duties  would  prevent  their  presence  and  co- 
operation on  the  occasion. 


In  accordance  with  these  arrangements,  a  proces- 
sion was  formed  on  the  College  Green,  at  10  o'clock, 
A.  M.,  on  the  13th  of  April,  consisting,  besides  the  Trus- 
tees, Faculty,  Alumni,  and  Students  of  the  College,  of 
the  public  bodies  and  functionaries  residing  in  the  city; 
the  Regents  of  the  University  of  the  state  ;  represent- 
atives of  the  city  in  congress,  and  in  the  state  legisla- 
ture ;  executive  and  judicial  officers  of  the  state  and 
of  the  United  States ;  foreign  ministers,  consuls,  and 
other  strangers  of  distinction ;  the  reverend  the 
clergy  ;  members  of  the  various  literary  societies  and 
scientific  institutions ;  presidents  and  professors  of 
other  colleges  and  seminaries  ;  principals  of  academies 
and  classical  schools,  and  teachers  of  the  grammar 
school  of  Columbia  College,  &c.  &c,  which  pro- 
ceeded to  St.  John's  Chapel,  in  Hudson  Square. 

The  solemnities  of  the  day  were  there  commenced 
with  an  Introductory  Prayer  by  the  Reverend  Philip 
F.  Mayer,  D.  D.,  Pastor  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church  in  Philadelphia,  and  a  graduate  of  the  College 
of  the  year  1799.  The  Anthem  of  "  Non  nobis  Domind' 
was  then  performed  by  a  select  choir,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  Robert  G.  Page,  director  of  the  choir  in 
the  Church  of  the  Ascension,  in  the  city  of  New- York ; 
after  which  the  Oration,  which  follows  this  narrative, 
was  delivered  by  the  Reverend  Manton  Eastburn, 
D.  D.,  Rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Ascension,  and  a 
graduate  of  the  College  of  the  year  1817. 


16 

The  Oration  was  succeeded  by  Mozart's  requiem  of 
11  Rex  tremendce  ?najestatis  et  benedictus"  by  the  choir. 
The  subjoined  Poem,  written  for  the  occasion,  was 
then  recited  by  its  author,  William  Betts,  A.  M.,  coun- 
sellor at  law,  and  a  graduate  of  the  College  of  the  year 
1820,  which  was  followed  by  the  anthem  of  "  Te  Deum 
Laudamus!' 

In  pursuance  of  a  resolution  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  then 
conferred  by  the  President  of  the  College,  upon  Fitz 
Green  Halleck,  William  Cullen  Bryant,  and  Charles 
Fenno  Hoffman,  all  of  the  city  of  New- York  ;  the  ho- 
norary degree  of  Doctor  in  Divinity,  upon  the   Right 
lleverend  Samuel  A.  McCoskrey,  Bishop  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church  in  the  diocese  of  Michigan  ; 
the  Reverend  Samuel  A.  Van  Vranken,  Pastor  of  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  Poughkeepsie ;  the  Reve- 
rend   Philip  F.  Mayer,  A.  M. ;    the  Reverend   Wil- 
liam R.  Whittingham,  A.  M.,   St.  Marks,  Professor  in 
the  General  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States  ;  the  Reverend 
Thomas  H.  Taylor,   Rector  of  Grace  Church  in   the 
city  of  New- York ;    the  Reverend    Samuel   Seabury, 
A.  M.,  of  New- York,  and  the  Reverend  John  Bethune, 
Rector  of  Christ  Church,  Montreal,  Lower  Canada ; 
and  the  honorary   degree    of  Doctor  of  Laws,  upon 
David  B.  Ogden,  John  Duer,  and  George  Griffin,  of  the 
city  of  New- York,  and  upon  his  Excellency  Peter  D. 
Vroom,   Governor  of  the  State   of  New- Jersey,   and 
a  graduate  of  the  College  of  the  year  1808. 

The  ceremonies  of  the  morning  were  concluded 
by  a  Valedictory  Prayer  and  Benediction  from  the 
Reverend  Philip  Milledoler,  D.  D.,  President  of  Rut- 


17 

gers  College,  New- Jersey,  and  a  graduate  of  Columbia 
College  of  the  year  1793. 

In  the  evening  the  College  hall  and  library,  having 
been  illuminated  and  appropriately  decorated,  were 
thrown  open  for  the  reception,  by  the  President,  of  the 
Trustees,  Faculty,  Alumni  and  Students,  with  other 
friends  to  the  institution,  who  assembled  in  great  num- 
bers in  honour  of  the  occasion. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  joint  committees  of  the  Trus- 
tees, Alumni,  and  Students  of  Columbia  College,  ap- 
pointed for  the  purpose  of  making  all  necessary  and 
proper  arrangements  for  celebrating  the  first  semi- 
centennial Anniversary  of  the  incorporation  of  the 
said  College  by  the  state  of  New- York,  held  on  the 
20th  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1837— Peter  A.  Jay,  Esquire, 
in  the  chair — 

On  motion, 

Resolved,  unanimously,  That  the  thanks  of  this  com- 
mittee be  presented  to  the  Rev.  MantonEastburn,  D.  D., 
for  the  Oration  delivered  by  him  at  their  request, 
at  the  late  celebration  of  the  semi-centennial  Anniver- 
sary of  the  restoration  of  his  Alma  Mater ;  and  that  he 
be  requested  to  furnish  a  copy  thereof  for  publication. 

On  motion, 

Resolved,  unanimously,  That  the  thanks  of  this  com- 
mittee be  presented  to  William  Betts,  A.  M.,  for 
the  Poem  delivered  by  him  at  their  request,  at  the  late 
celebration  of  the  semi-centennial  Anniversary  of  the 
restoration  of  his  Alma  Mater;  and  that  he  be  re- 
quested to  furnish  a  copy  thereof  for  publication. 

On  motion, 

Resolved,  unanimously,  That  the  thanks  of  this  com- 
3 


18 

mittee  be  presented  to  the  Rev.  Philip  F.  Mayer,  D.  D., 
for  the  service  rendered  his  Alma  Mater,  in  offer- 
ing up  the  Introductory  Prayer  at  the  late  semi-cen- 
tennial Anniversary  of  her  restoration. 

On  motion, 

Resolved,  unanimously,  That  the  thanks  of  this  com- 
mittee be  presented  to  the  Rev.  Philip  Milledoler,  D.  D., 
for  the  service  rendered  his  Alma  Mater,  in  offering 
up  the  Valedictory  Prayer,  and  pronouncing  the  Bene- 
diction, at  the  late  semi-centennial  Anniversary  of  her 
restoration. 

On  motion, 

Resolved,  unanimously,  That  the  thanks  of  this  com- 
mittee be  presented  to  Charles  Anthon,  LL.  D.,  Jay 
Professor  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages  in  Colum- 
bia College,  for  the  Greek  Ode  written  by  him  in 
celebration  of  the  first  semi-centennial  Anniversary  of 
his  Alma  Mater;  and  that  he  be  requested  to  furnish 
a  copy  thereof  for  publication. 

On  motion, 

Resolved,  unanimously,  That  the  thanks  of  this  com- 
mittee be  presented  to  William  C.  Russell,  A.  M.,  for 
the  Latin  Ode  written  by  him  in  celebration  of  the 
first  semi-centennial  Anniversary  of  his  Alma  Mater  ; 
and  that  he  be  requested  to  furnish  a  copy  thereof  for 
publication. 

On  motion, 

Resolved,  unanimously,  That  the  thanks  of  this  com- 
mittee be  presented  to  William  Duer,  A.  B.,  for  the 
English  Ode  written  by  him  in  celebration  of  the  first 
semi-centennial  Anniversary  of  his  Alma  Mater ;  and 
that  he  be  requested  to  furnish  a  copy  thereof  for  pub- 
lication. A  true  copy. 

Attest.         G.  M.  Hillyer,  Secretary. 


ORATION. 


BY    MANTON    EASTBURN,    D.   D 


RECTOR  OF   THE   CHURCH   OF  THE   ASCENSION,  NEW-YORK. 


ORATION 


In  stepping  aside,  on  the  present  animating  occasion, 
from  a  path  of  arduous  professional  duty,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  executing  the  part  which  has  been  assigned 
me,  it  is  not  without  the  unfeigned  conviction,  that  this 
noble  theme  would  have  found,  in  many  others  of  my 
fellow-graduates,  advocates  more  competent  to  do  it 
justice.  In  one  qualification  for  the  task,  however,  let 
me  be  permitted  to  say  that  I  will  yield  to  none  ;  and 
that  is,  a  heart  glowing  with  filial  affection  for  our  an- 
cient and  common  mother.  Among  those  visions  of 
the  past,  which  float  before  me  amidst  the  present 
realities  of  life,  the  most  "  benignly  pensive"  is  the  re- 
membrance of  days,  when,  beneath  the  spreading  syca- 
mores that  overshadow  that  venerated  pile,  I  used  to 
stand  in  a  circle  of  youthful  associates,  knit  together 
with  the  bands  of  sincere  and  sacred  friendship.  I 
never  pass  by  the  scene  of  these  early  joys,  that  they 
do  not  recur  to  me  with  all  the  warmth  and  freshness 
of  their  living  beauty.  I  still  love  to  look  at  those 
trees ;  and  rejoice  to  behold  in  them  the  magnificent 


22 

and  speaking  emblems  of  the  durability  of  her,  to 
whom  we  are  this  day  assembled  to  pay  the  debt  of 
gratitude  and  love.  Do  we  not  now  feel,  that,  like 
them,  she  shall  long  stand  ; — surviving  the  blasts  of  pre- 
judice ;  inviting  beneath  her  ample  shade  the  youth  of 
this  great  metropolis  ;  and  majestically  presiding  over 
the  early  studies  of  those,  who,  in  after  days,  are  to 
exemplify  in  the  senate,  at  the  bar,  in  the  pulpit,  and 
in  the  several  walks  of  professional,  literary,  scientific, 
and  commercial  pursuits,  the  incalculable  blessings  of 
a  sound  and  polished  education  ? 

The  day  that  has  now  dawned  upon  us  completes 
the  period  of  half  a  century,  since  our  beloved  Col- 
lege, lying  in  the  desertion  and  ruin  consequent  upon 
the  revolutionary  struggle,  was  placed  by  the  govern- 
ment of  our  State  upon  a  permanent  basis  of  strength. 
Amidst  the  joy  of  our  present  anniversary,  it  is  impos- 
sible not  to  turn,  with  feelings  of  singular  interest,  to 
that  contrasted  condition  in  which  the  legislative  rulers 
found  our  Alma  Mater,  when  they  first  extended 
towards  her  the  hand  of  friendship.  When  the  tocsin 
of  war  sounded,  the  youth  who  were  gathered  within 
this  peaceful  sanctuary  of  letters  were  scattered  in 
various  directions  ;  and  the  very  building  under  whose 
roof  they  received  instruction,  was  converted  into  a 
receptacle  for  the  wounded  soldiery.  Who  that  left 
her  halls,  at  that  hour  of  darkness  and  peril,  could 
venture  so  much  as  to  conjecture,  what  were  to  be 
her  fortunes  in  future  days  ?  To  us,  however,  be- 
longs the  privilege  of  looking  back,  and  reading 
the  history  of  her  triumphs.  Soon  after  the  peace, 
our  College  attracted,  in  common  with  other  semi- 
naries of  learning  in  the  State,  the  attention  of  the 


23 

Legislature ;  and  was  placed  under  the  superintend- 
ence of  a  board,  entitled  the  Regents  of  the  Uni- 
versity. Under  this  government  she  continued,  until 
that  memorable  day  of  which  the  present  is  our  semi- 
centennial jubilee.  On  the  13th  day  of  April,  1787, 
an  act  was  passed,  confirming,  with  the  requisite  alte- 
rations, the  original  charter  of  1754,  granted  in  the 
reign  of  George  the  Second,  appointing  a  board  of 
Trustees,  who  were,  from  that  time,  themselves  to  fill 
the  vacancies  occasioned  by  death,  or  otherwise,  in 
their  own  body  ;  and  leaving  her  free  to  pursue  her 
onward  course  of  usefulness  and  honour.  On  that  day, 
our  Institution  may  properly  be  said  to  have  first  ari- 
sen, and  "  shaken  herself  from  the  dust,"  and  stood  upon 
her  feet.  From  that  time  she  began  her  independ- 
ent way :  advancing  steadily  forward,  under  the  new 
name  of  Columbia  College,  to  that  elevated  position 
which  she  now  occupies,  as  the  accomplished,  faithful, 
and  impartial  dispenser  of  learning  and  truth. 

Among  the  changes  that  have  marked  the  progress 
of  these  fifty  years,  many  whom  I  now  address  will 
not  fail  to  be  reminded  of  those  transformations  which 
have  taken  place,  in  the  exterior  appearance  of  our 
ancient  College  structure.  The  present  speaker  was 
one  of  that  graduating  class  of  1817,  who  were  the 
last  to  see  yet  untouched,  on  leaving  the  scenes  of 
their  collegiate  life,  the  old  edifice  erected  in  provin- 
cial times.  Let  us  imagine,  for  a  moment,  one  of  this, 
or  of  some  preceding  class,  travelling  away,  at  that 
period,  to  a  distant  quarter  of  the  globe ;  and,  after  an 
absence  of  a  few  years,  returning  to  the  scenes  of  his 
youth.  The  first  spot  to  which  he  bends  his  steps,  is 
the  well-remembered  College  Green.     He  approaches 


24 

it :  and  what  does  he  see  1  The  whole  enclosure, 
with  every  thing  that  it  contains,  excepting  the  umbra- 
geous trees,  seems  to  him  as  if  it  had  passed  under  the 
influence  of  some  enchanter's  wand.  He  first  looks 
for  the  old  janitor's  lodge,  that  flanked  the  wooden 
gate  leading  from  the  common,  every-day  world,  into 
the  classic  sanctum  of  the  student.  But  it  has  gone. 
He  next  turns  his  eyes  to  the  College  pile :  but  what 
is  here  1  The  dark  gray  front,  with  its  dingy  doors, 
he  can  find  no  longer.  It  has  put  on  the  brightness 
of  second  youth ;  while,  on  either  end,  a  stately  wing 
rises  in  fair  proportions,  casting  the  central  edifice  into 
quiet  distance.  He  then  looks  upward,  to  see  if  he 
can  descry  at  least  one  lingering  remnant  of  other 
days  upon  the  roof.  But  there,  too,  all  is  changed. 
The  ancient  cupola,  surmounted  by  the  crown  of  roy- 
alty, has  vanished ;  and,  in  its  place,  a  majestic  dome 
presides  over  the  scene.  He  passes  onward,  to  seek 
for  the  old  Hall  at  the  west  end ;  into  the  three  reci- 
tation-rooms, of  whose  lower  floor  he  had  so  frequently 
been  received  with  the  companions  of  his  sports  and 
studies, — and  in  whose  upper  room  he  had  so  often  as- 
cended the  rostrum,  and  made  his  first  experiments  in 
the  science  of  elocution.  But,  to  his  astonishment,  this 
too  is  no  more.  All  has  been  changed. — His  first  feeling, 
on  the  sight  of  this  substitution  of  new  objects  for  old 
ones,  is  that  of  painful  disappointment. .  He  cannot  recon- 
cile himself  to  such  an  obliteration  of  the  ancient  land- 
marks, that  connected  the  present  with  the  past.  But, 
in  another  moment,  he  recovers  himself.  He  reflects, 
that  even  the  remains  of  antiquity  are  unjustifiably 
spared,  when  to  save  them  interferes  with  the  urgent 
wants  of  the  present  hour.     He  is  content :  and  cheer- 


25 

fully  sacrifices  poetical  association  upon  the  altar  of 
utility. 

On  this  festival  of  the  renewal,  half  a  century  ago, 
of  our  chartered  rights,  we  are  naturally  reminded  of 
the  many  who,  from  that  day  to  the  present,  have  is- 
sued forth,  at  successive  periods,  from  the  walls  of  our 
College,  and  been  subsequently  removed  from  the 
stage  of  life.  To  sketch  the  character,  and  thus  pay 
a  brief  tribute  to  the  memory,  of  some  of  these,  will, 
I  trust,  be  deemed  not  inappropriate  to  the  objects 
of  our  present  celebration.  Assembled  to  testify  our 
generous  attachment  to  the  Institution,  by  whose  fos- 
tering hands  we  were  nurtured,  in  what  way  can  we 
more  successfully  strengthen  our  gratitude  for  the  bless- 
ings she  has  conferred,  than  by  surveying  the  line  of 
her  illustrious  children  1  To  notice  all  those  distin- 
guished persons,  whom,  from  the  date  of  the  confirma- 
tion of  the  royal  charter,  she  has  sent  forth  to  adorn 
their  country,  until  they  were  taken  from  the  earth, 
would  be  incompatible  with  the  time  to  which  I  feel 
myself  restricted.  I  purpose  to  present  before  you 
only  a  few ; — beginning  with  some  of  the  earlier,  and 
ending  with  some  of  the  later,  deceased  graduates  of 
the  last  fifty  years. 

At  the  head  of  this  list  of  honored  names,  stands 
that  of  De  Witt  Clinton. 

In  introducing  this  distinguished  son  of  Columbia 
College,  among  the  graduates  of  our  Alma  Mater  after 
her  final  re-establishment  by  the  Legislature,  it  is  due 
to  historical  truth  to  say,  that  the  time  when  he  left 
these  academic  shades  preceded,  by  a  few  months,  that 
act  of  the  State  government,  by  which  she  received 
the  confirmation  of  her  ancient  privileges.  Strictly 
4 


26 

speaking,  therefore,  he  does  not  come  within  the  num- 
ber of  those,  who  belong  to  the  period  of  the  last  fifty 
years ;  but  is  one  of  a  small  and  elder  band  of  eight 
persons,  who  were  graduated  under  the  provisional 
superintendence  of  the  Regents  of  the  University. 
Inasmuch,  however,  as  the  existence  of  our  Institution 
as  Columbia  College  began  immediately  after  the 
close  of  the  revolutionary  conflict,  and  this  illustrious 
man  was  the  first  student  examined  for  entrance  sub- 
sequently to  the  independence  of  this  country, — I  shall 
make  no  apology  for  thus  giving  him  a  place  among 
those,  whose  remembrance,  on  this  festal  day,  we  de- 
light to  honour. 

The  impression  still  remains  upon  my  mind,  in  all 
its  vividness,  which  I  received,  when  yet  a  boy,  from 
the  first  sight  of  this  remarkable   man.     The  fire  of 

o 

his  speaking  eye,  the  whole  expression  of  his  grand 
countenance,  and  the  dignity  of  his  movements,  com- 
pelled me  to  feel  that  I  was  in  the  presence  of  a  supe- 
rior being ;  a  being  formed  to  conceive  great  designs, 
and  to  pursue  them  with  energy  and  decision.  It  was, 
perhaps,  not  less  from  these  outward  lineaments,  than 
from  the  indications  which  his  early  genius  gave  of  his 
future  greatness,  that  his  preceptor  in  this  College, 
Dr.  Cochran,  was  led  to  regard  him,  during  the  days 
of  his  academic  life,  as  one  destined  "  to  counsel  and 
direct  his  fellow-citizens  to  honour  and  happiness." 

To  enter  into  any  laboured  eulogy  of  the  talents 
and  public  services  of  Clinton,  even  were  such  an  at- 
tempt consistent  with  the  scope  of  the  present  address, 
were  altogether  superfluous.  His  character  and  la- 
bours have  been  impressively  commemorated  by  seve- 
ral alumni  of  this  institution  :  and  most  completely  has 
this  work  been  performed  by  a  distinguished  member 


27 

of  the  medical  profession,  himself  now  numbered  with 
the  dead, — who,  with  the  pious  hand  of  friendship,  and 
with  such  materials  before  him  as  long  intimacy  had 
enabled  him  to  possess,  has  drawn  a  succinct  and  glow- 
ing outline  of  the  career  of  this  great  statesman  from 
the  cradle  to  the  grave.*  But  it  is  not  by  the  records 
of  biography  that  his  name  will  be  perpetuated  through 
coming  generations.  If  it  was  with  Clinton  an  object 
of  desire, — a  question  which  we  are  not  called  upon  to 
agitate, — after  he  should  have  been  consigned  to  the 
tomb,  to  survive  death  in  the  second  life  of  a  posthu- 
mous renown,  we  must  admire  the  sagacity  that  led 
him  to  give  such  a  direction  to  his  ambition,  as  to  ensure, 
to  the  fullest  extent,  this  anticipation  of  his  heart.  For 
we  may  boldly  challenge  all  men  to  say,  now  that  the 
bitterness  of  party  prejudice  and  violence  has  been  buri- 
ed in  his  grave,  whether,  if  he  did  seek  to  enthrone  him- 
self in  the  future  veneration  of  his  native  State,  he  did  not 
aim  to  found  his  claims  upon  the  fact,  that  he  was  con- 
stantly devising  plans  of  the  most  enlarged  character 
for  that  State's  glory  and  good  1  In  thus  continually 
identifying  his  own  fame  with  the  advancement  of  this 
commonwealth,  he  has  saved  us  the  necessity  of  in- 
scribing his  panegyric  upon  marble.  We  need  not 
give  his  name  "  in  charge  to  the  sweet  lyre."  We  need 
not  ask  Sculpture  to 

"  Give  bond  in  stone,  and  ever-during  brass, 
To  guard  it,  and  t'  immortalize  her  trust." 

If  the  children  of  our  Alma  Mater  shall  ask  for 
Clinton's  monument,   we  may  point  them  to   one  of 

*  "  Memoir  of  De  Witt  Clinton.     By  David  Hosack,  M.  D.,  F.  R.  S." 


28 

which  this  College  needs  not  to  be  ashamed,  and  than 
which  our  distinguished  elder  brother  can  have  none 
prouder  and  better — our  common  Schools. 

Another  among  the  mighty  dead,  who  deserves  a 
place  in  the  recollections  of  every  member  of  this 
College,  is  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  M.  Mason.  This  dis- 
tinguished divine  was  graduated  in  the  year  1789 ; 
and  in  1811,  by  a  new  arrangement  in  the  government 
of  our  Institution,  was  elected  Provost.  This  situation 
he  continued  to  fill,  until  disease,  and  a  meditated 
voyage  to  Europe  for  the  restoration  of  health,  led  to 
his  resignation  of  the  office.  It  was  not  my  own  fa- 
voured lot,  as  it  was  that  of  some  who  are  now  before 
me,  to  pass  through  the  senior  year  of  the  academic 
course  under  his  immediate  instruction.  Am  I  not 
correct  in  saying,  that  those  who  did  enjoy  this  privi- 
lege can  never  cease  to  remember  the  taste,  the  criti- 
cal acumen,  the  amazing  vigor  and  originality  of  mind, 
with  which  he  illustrated,  on  alternate  days,  the  pages 
of  Horace  and-Longinus  1 

A  tribute,  just  as  it  is  eloquent,  has  been, paid  to  the 
memory  of  this  great  man,  by  one  of  our  own  gradu- 
ates, who  is  distinguished  far  and  wide  in  the  world  of 
letters*  I  cannot  refrain,  however,  from  giving  utter- 
ance, on  this  occasion,  to  my  own  fervent  recollections 
of  one  whom  I  well  knew,  and  of  whose  surpassing 
powers  in  the  pulpit  an  indelible  impression  has  been 
stamped  upon  my  memory.  He  was  one  whom  the 
Creator  had  endowed  with  natural  gifts,  that   com- 


*  See  "  An  Address  delivered  before  the  Philolexian  and  Peithologian  Societies, 
August  2d,  1830;  on  the  evening  preceding  the  annual  Commencement  of 
Columbia  College.    By  Gulian  C.  Verplanck." 


29 

pelled  attention.  That  intellectual  forehead,  that 
eagle's  eye,  and  the  varying  intonations  of  that  voice, 
who  can  ever  forget  ?  Sustained  by  these  great  per- 
sonal advantages,  he  carried  every  thing  before  him, 
when  standing  as  the  messenger  of  God  in  his  earthly 
temple. 

It  can  hardly  be  doubted,  that,  as  an  expositor  of 
the  inspired  volume,  Mason's  powers  were  unique. 
He  was  not  the  wearisome  pedant,  making  a  pompous 
and  unnecessary  parade  of  learning ;  and  encumber- 
ing the  sacred  page  with  imagined  difficulties,  only 
that  he  might  exhibit  the  adroitness  with  which  he 
could  clear  them  away.  It  was  his  object  to  make 
Scripture  speak  for  itself:  and  all  the  treasures  of  his 
knowledge,  and  the  full  force  of  his  intellect,  were  em- 
ployed in  developing  the  whole  meaning  conveyed  in 
the  language,  which  was,  at  the  time,  passing  under 
his  review.  It  was  the  effect  of  his  public  ministra- 
tions, therefore,  to  pour  a  flood  of  light  upon  the  sub- 
ject which  he  handled.  I  shall  not  venture  to  assert, 
that  these  efforts  were  not  occasionally  marked  with 
those  eccentricities  and  incongruities,  so  frequently 
found  to  be  the  accompanying  "infirmity  of  noble 
minds."  But  who,  that  have  ever  heard  him,  do  not 
still  see  him  before  their  eyes,  standing  forth  confest, 
in  the  majesty  of  his  person,  in  the  power  and  clearness 
of  his  reasoning,  in  the  alternate  grandeur  and  tender- 
ness of  his  appeals  to  the  conscience  and  the  heart, 
the  prince  of  pulpit  orators  ? 

Among  those  charms  of  manner,  which  gave  such 
irresistible  effect  to  the  public  efforts  of  Mason,  may 
be  mentioned  the  inimitable  beauty  of  his  reading. 
Nothing  could  be  more  finished,  and  yet,  at  the  same 


30 

time,  nothing  could  be  more  natural.  The  auditors 
were  never  reminded,  while  this  great  speaker  was  re- 
citing a  chapter  of  inspiration,  of  the  man  who  was 
before  them ;  but  were  lost  in  contemplation  of  the 
character  whom  he  was  personating,  or  the  scenes 
which  his  lips  were  presenting  to  view.  There  was 
nothing,  therefore,  in  his  mode  of  performing  this  part 
of  his  duty,  inconsistent  with  the  humility  and  single- 
ness of  mind,  which  befit  the  services  of  a  human  being 
in  the  sanctuary  of  the  Eternal.  I  believe  it  will  be 
admitted,  by  all  who  have  enjoyed  the  opportunity  of 
judging,  that  to  hear  Dr.  Mason  read  a  portion  from 
the  prophetical  writings,  or  one  of  the  speeches  of  St. 
Paul,  had  all  the  effect  of  the  most  perfect  commen- 
tary. One  instance  of  this  kind  now  occurs  to  me,  in 
the  striking  alternation  of  power,  pathos,  and  gladness, 
with  which  he  was  wont  to  deliver  the  opening  verses 
of  that  sublime  Chapter,  the  fortieth  of  Isaiah.  The 
impression  it  produced  upon  the  feelings  was  of  a  kin- 
dred character  with  that  which  we  experience,  when 
listening  to  the  glorious  music,  with  which  Handel  has 
illustrated  this  same  passage  of  the  prophet  of  Judah. 
While  he  read,  the  soul  was  by  turns  soothed  into 
peace — awed  into  wonder — and  lifted  up  with  the  al- 
most uncontrollable  emotions  of  gratitude  and  joy. 

The  reason  already  assigned, — the  want  of  time, — 
must  be  my  apology  for  not  dwelling,  as  their  names 
deserve,  upon  the  character  of  some  of  those  distin- 
guished and  departed  graduates,  who  left  this  College 
between  the  earlier  and  the  latter  days  of  the  last  half 
century.  Did  my  limits  permit,  I  could  wish  to  speak 
more  than  a  few  words  of  Joseph  Nelson  :  who, 
amidst  the  calamity  of  blindness,  made  himself  master 


.   "  THE 

-«sn 

OF 


31 


of  the  rich  productions  of  Grecian  and  Roman  anti- 
quity ;  and  who  spent  his  days  in  imparting  his  own 
enthusiastic  love  for  their  beauties,  to  the  minds  of  our 
native  youth.     Were  I  allowed,  personal  respect  and 
friendship,   not  less  than  his  own  exalted  character, 
would  lead  me  to  expatiate  upon    the  talents  and  the 
virtues  of  Dr.  John  Watts,  the  late  President  of  our 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  ; — a  man,  in  whom 
skill  in  the  illustrious    profession   of  the  healing  art 
shone  with  the  added  lustre  of  Christian  piety ;  and 
who  set  the  example  of  turning  to  advantage  the  abun- 
dant   opportunities   which   that  calling  presents,  for 
mingling,  with  its  beneficent  labours  for  the  body,  the 
nutriment  of  instruction,   and  the  cordial  of  celestial 
consolation,  for  the  immortal  spirit.     I  would  fain,  also, 
were  space  granted  me,  pay  more   than  a  passing  tri- 
bute  to  the   memory  of  Bedell  ;  whose  chaste  and 
effective  pulpit  oratory,  while  it  adorned,  for  many 
years,  our  sister  city  of  Philadelphia,  was  occasionally 
heard  in  this  metropolis,  and  was  known,  equally  with 
his  great  usefulness,  throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  our  land.    But  I  must  hasten  to  a  brief  notice  of  two 
or  three  of  those,  who  issued,  at  a  somewhat  later  day, 
from  these  academic  halls. 

Among  the  graduates  of  1815,  was  Robert  Charles 
Sands.  At  the  early  age  of  thirty-three,  this  accom- 
plished poet  and  scholar  was  summoned  from  the 
world.  His  life  and  character  have  been  delineated 
in  an  exquisite  biographical  sketch,  from  the  pen  of 
Gulian  C.  Verplanck ;  preceding  a  selection  from  his 
works,  compiled  by  the  united  labor  of  this  gentle- 
man, and  our  distinguished  poet  Bryant  From  these 
volumes  may  be  gained  ample  evidence  of  the  extraor- 


32 

dinary  and  versatile  powers  of  Sands ;  though  I  must 
ask  permission  here  to  express  my  regret,  at  the  omis- 
sion to  insert,  in  this  publication,  such  a  proportion  of 
his  numerous  productions  on  classical  subjects,  as 
would  have  more  fully  shown  him  to  this  country,  and 
to  the  sons  of  our  Alma  Mater,  to  be  that  which  he 
truly  was, — an  extensively  read  scholar.  It  seems  but 
as  yesterday,  when,  on  first  leaving  this  Institution,  I 
used  to  spend  a  few  hours  of  every  day  in  his  com- 
pany ;  pursuing  together  with  him  the  study  of  those 
immortal  remains,  which  have  come  down  to  us  from  the 
ancient  masters.  He  had,  even  at  that  early  period  of  his 
life,  a  keen  relish  for  these  studies ;  and  I  can  yet  remem- 
ber the  susceptibility,  with  which,  in  turn,  he  sympa- 
thized with  the  wild  and  lawless  sublimity  of  Aeschy- 
lus— and  rejoiced  in  the  humor  of  Aristophanes — and 
lingered  with  delight  upon  the  tenderness  and  simpli- 
city of  the  honied  Euripides.* 

One  of  his  most  favorite  Latin  authors  was  Horace; 
the  lively  portraits  which  that  writer  has  given  of  hu- 
man life  and  character,  taking  a  strong  hold  of  his  own 
quick  and  observant  mind.  Among  the  most  finished 
and  powerful  of  his  poetical  productions,  are  some 
imitations  and  translations  of  the  writings  of  that  bard  ; 
and,  of  these,  an  unpublished  imitation  of  the  cele- 
brated Epistle  to  Maecenas  appears  to  me  worthy  of  a 
place,  among  the  finest  specimens  in  that  class  to  be 
found  in  our  language.     I  would  gladly  detach  a  por- 


*  To  the  last-named  writer  I  recollect  that  he  gave  the  decided  preference  over 
Sophocles  :  sustained  in  this  judgment,— whether  himself  aware  of  the  circum- 
stance or  not,  I  pretend  not  to  say, — by  the  illustrious  Porson ;  who,  in  his  inaugu- 
ral dissertation  on  Euripides,  has  thus  struck  the  balance,  in  his  own  beautiful 
Latinity,  between  him  and  his  great  rival.  "  Hunc  magis  probare  solemus ;  ilium 
magis  amare:  hunc  laudamus;  ilium  legimus." 


33 

tion  of  this  from  its  connexion,  and  present  it  to  this 
audience,  were  such  a  separation  practicable.  In  place 
of  it,  let  me  be  allowed  to  conclude  this  passing  tri- 
bute with  a  short  sample  of  his  powers  in  translation, 
which,  while  it  is  complete  in  itself,  is  also  worthy  of 
his  fame.  It  is  a  published,  but  anonymous  version  of 
those  beautiful  lines  in  the  Metamorphoses  of  Ovid, 
where  Niobe,  weeping  for  her  slaughtered  children,  is 
described  as  gradually  transformed  into  stone.  In 
these  English  verses,  Sands  is  faithful  to  his  author, 
and  yet  transfuses  into  our  language,  to  a  remarkable 
degree,  the  rare  beauty  of  the  original. 

Altogether  desolate  left, 


Amid  her  sons,  her  daughters,  and  her  spouse 
She  sate,  the  life  blood  curdling  in  her  heart, 
And  her  frame  stiff 'ning  :  by  the  ambient  breeze 
No  lock  was  lifted:  on  her  bloodless  cheek 
The  colour  stood  :  her  shining  eyes  were  fix'd  ; 
Her  form  a  beauteous,  lifeless  image  left. 
Cleaves  to  its  frigid  roof  her  tons^ie  cons^eal'd  ; 
The  torpid  veins  with  life  no  longer  beat; 
Her  neck  inflexible ;  no  longer  pliant 
Her  polish'd  arms  ;  fast  rooted  are  her  feet; 
Within,  the  gradual  change,  with  rigid  art, 
Turns  all  to  stone — and  yet  she  seems  to  weep. 
Then  the  swift  pinions  of  a  whirlwind  strong 
Bore  her  from  sight  to  her  paternal  land  ; 
There,  planted  on  a  mountain's  topmost  crag, 
Left  her,  in  tears  deploring.     And,  even  now, 
Or  fame  is  false — the  conscious  marble  weeps. 

At  the  next  Commencement,  another  youth  left  these 
peaceful  shades,  who,  at  the  end  of  three  short  years, 
terminated  his  earthly  career.  I  shall  not  apologize 
for  here  introducing  the  name  of  the  late  Rev.  James 
Wallis  Eastburn.  For  I  feel  the  firm  conviction, 
that,  while  I  am  weaving  a  garland  of  fraternal  affec- 


34 

tion  to  hang  upon  a  brother's  tomb,  I  am  performing 
an  office,  in  which  many  whom  I  now  see  would  gladly 
join  me  ; — many,  in  whose  memory  still  dwells  the  re- 
collection of  his  refinement,  his  various  attainments,  his 
simplicity  unfeigned;  many,  also,  who,  though  they  never 
knew  him,  have  seen  some  of  the  effusions  of  his  ma- 
ture and  richly  furnished  mind.  Congeniality  of  tastes 
led  him  to  the  formation,  during  his  college  days,  of  an 
intimacy  with  Sands,  which  lasted  until  death.  It  was 
during  the  period  of  this  literary  friendship,  that,  as  the 
public  already  know,  he  formed,  and,  in  company  with 
Sands,  executed,  the  design  of  embodying  in  a  poetical 
narrative  the  fortunes  of  Philip,  the  Rhode-Island  Indian 
King.  Pursuing  his  preparation  for  holy  orders  in  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  Mount  Hope,  the  residence  of 
this  fated  chieftain,  he  found  in  these  scenes  a  strong 
excitement  for  his  imagination ;  and  was  enabled  to 
give  the  most  perfect  accuracy  to  the  local  descriptions 
of  the  poem.  This  work,  completed  and  arranged  by 
Sands,  after  the  death  of  his  friend,  is  now  before  the 
world;  and,  with  all  the  defects  to  be  expected  from 
the  early  age  of  both  its  composers,  has  acquired  for 
itself  the  character  of  an  uncommon  production. 

The  remains  which  Eastburn  has  left  behind  him 
are  amazingly  voluminous.  I  will  venture  to  say  that 
there  are  few,  who,  on  arriving  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  which  was  the  limit  of  his  mortal  career,  will  be 
found  to  have  accomplished  so  much  literary  composi- 
tion. His  prose  writings,  many  of  which  appeared 
anonymously  in  a  series  of  periodical  essays,  conducted 
by  himself  and  some  of  his  friends,  take  in  an  exten- 
sive range  of  moral  and  classical  disquisition  ;  and  are 
models  of  the  purest  Addisonian  English.  The  great 
charm,  however,   of  all  his  writings,  is  the  tone  that 


35 


breathes  through  them.  Whatever  be  the  subject,  the 
reader  is  never  allowed  to  forget,  that  the  pages  before 
him  are  indited  with  a  pen,  dipped  in  the  dew  of  hea- 
ven. An  illustration  of  this  peculiar  feature  of  his 
productions,  will  form  the  most  appropriate  ending  of 
this  brief  offering  to  his  memory.  On  one  glorious 
night  of  June,  1819,  during  his  residence  as  a  parochial 
clergyman  upon  the  Eastern  shore  of  Virginia,  and  a 
few  months  before  his  death,  he  sat  up  until  the  solemn 
hour  of  twelve  to  enjoy  the  scene.  The  moon  was 
riding  in  her  majesty ;  her  light  fell  upon  the  waters 
of  the  Chesapeake  ;  and  all  was  hushed  into  stillness. 
Under  the  immediate  inspiration  of  such  a  spectacle, 
he  penned  the  following  lines,  which  he  has  entitled 
"  The  Summer  Midnight."  After  having  given  them 
to  you,  my  fellow-collegians,  I  will  leave  you  to  de- 
cide whether  the  character  I  have  just  drawn  be  a 
true  portrait,  or  has  been  dictated  only  by  the  natural 
enthusiasm  of  a  brother's  love. 

The  breeze  of  night  has  sunk  to  rest, 
Upon  the  river's  tranquil  breast ; 
And  every  bird  has  sought  her  nest, 

Where  silent  is  her  minstrelsy; 
The  queen  of  heaven  is  sailing  high, 
A  pale  bark  on  the  azure  sky, 
Where  not  a  breath  is  heard  to  sis^h — 

So  deep  the  soft  tranquillity. 

Forgotten  now  the  heat  of  day 
That  on  the  burning  waters  lay, 
The  noon  of  night  her  mantle  gray 

Spreads,  for  the  sun's  high  blazonry  ; 
But  glittering  in  that  gentle  night 
There  gleams  a  line  of  silvery  light, 
As  tremulous  on  the  shores  of  white 

It  hovers  sweet  and  playfully. 


36 


At  peace  the  distant  shallop  rides  ; 
Not  as  when  dashing  o'er  her  sides 
The  roaring  bay's  unruly  tides 

Were  beating  round  her  gloriously ; 
But  every  sail  is  furl'd  and  still  : 
Silent  the  seaman's  whistle  shrill, 
While  dreamy  slumbers  seem  to  thrill 

With  parted  hours  of  extasy. 

Stars  of  the  many-spangled  heaven ! 
Faintly  this  night  your  beams  are  given, 
Tho'  proudly  where  your  hosts  are  driven 

Ye  rear  your  dazzling  galaxy  ; 
Since  far  and  wide  a  softer  hue 
Is  spread  across  the  plains  of  blue, 
Where  in  bright  chorus,  ever  true, 

For  ever  swells  your  harmony. 

O  for  some  sadly  dying  note 
Upon  this  silent  hour  to  float, 
Where  from  the  bustling  world  remote 

The  lyre  might  wake  its  melody ; 
One  feeble  strain  is  all  can  swell 
From  mine  almost  deserted  shell, 
In  mournful  accents  yet  to  tell 

That  slumbers  not  its  minstrelsy. 

There  is  an  hour  of  deep  repose 
That  yet  upon  my  heart  shall  close, 
When  all  that  nature  dreads  and  knows 

Shall  burst  upon  me  wondrously  ; 
O  may  I  then  awake  for  ever 
My  harp  to  rapture's  high  endeavor, 
And  as  from  earth's  vain  scene  I  sever, 

Be  lost  in  Immortality  ! 

The  time  already  consumed  admonishes  me  to  con- 
clude this  rapid  sketch  of  some  of  those,  who  have 
reflected  honour  upon  our  Alma  Mater  during  the 
period  just  completed.     I  must  not  omit,  however,  to 


37 

add  to  this  list  the  name  of  the  Rev.  Edmund  D. 
Griffin.  The  commencement  of  my  acquaintance 
with  this  accomplished  youth  was  in  the  year  1823,  a 
few  days  after  that  on  which,  covered  with  honours,  he 
left  these  halls  of  learning  ;  and  in  the  summer  of  1830, 
I  received,  while  on  a  journey,  the  startling  intelligence 
that  he  had  expired.  Endowed  by  nature  with  an 
elegant  mind  ;  blest  with  the  advantages  of  a  thorough 
education  ;  and  improved  by  foreign  travel ;  we  were 
looking  upon  him  as  one  destined  to  usefulness  in  the 
church  at  whose  altars  he  ministered,  and  to  a  distin- 
guished rank  among  men  of  letters.  But  the  hand  of 
death  was  suddenly  laid  upon  him  ;  and  we  are  now 
only  permitted  to  infer,  from  his  published  remains, 
what  he  would  have  accomplished,  had  he  been  al- 
lowed to  prolong  for  a  few  years  more  his  days  on 
earth.  This  passing  commemoration  of  one  who,  for 
a  short  period,  occupied  an  official  station  in  our  Col- 
lege, may  not  unfitly  terminate  that  series  of  honoured 
names,  which  has  now  passed  in  review.  The  exqui- 
site opening  lines  of  one  of  his  translations  from  a 
poet  of  Italy,  are  those  in  which  we  may  appropriately 
bid  him  farewell. 

Oh  spirit,  beautiful  and  blest ! 

That,  freed  at  last  from  every  bond, 

Hast  naked  sprung  to  calmer  realms  above  !  * 

It  is  surely  a  reasonable  subject  for  gratification,  that,  on 
this  festal  morning,  we  have  it  in  our  power,  as  sons  of  our 
Alma  Mater,  to  call  up,  among  the  various  remembran- 
ces of  the  last  fifty  years,  the  memory  of  such  men  as 


*  The  Remains  of  this  uncommon  young  scholar  have  been  given  to  the  public 
in  two  volumes;  and  are  accompanied  by  a  most  interesting  Memoir  from  the  pen 
of  Professor  McVickar. 


38 

these.  But  here,  a  question  of  no  little  interest  can- 
not fail  to  present  itself  to  our  minds.  If  Columbia 
College  has  been  the  honored  instrument  of  training 
such  graduates,  what  does  she  not  deserve  at  our 
hands  ?  Filled  with  the  present  inspiring  recollections, 
let  every  member  of  this  Institution  inquire  what  is 
his  duty  ;  and  labor,  with  true  loyalty  and  devotion, 
in  its  conscientious   fulfilment. 

Our  College  this  day  calls  upon  us,  by  all  the  bene- 
fits which  she  has  rendered,  and  by  the  illustrious 
names  treasured  up  in  the  archives  of  her  history,  to 
do  every  thing  that  we  can  to  promote  her  welfare 
and  her  glory.  For  will  it  be  denied,  that  this  Semi- 
nary of  learning  rightfully  claims  some  portion  of  the 
honor,  which  crowns  the  memory  of  these  her  foster- 
children  1  Can  this  right  be  withheld  from  her  1  She 
takes  to  herself,  it  is  true,  no  glory  for  their  original 
powers.  These  were  the  gift  of  heaven  before  they 
entered  within  her  enclosure.  But  who  gave  these 
powers  their  direction  1  Who  trained  them  with  the 
hand  of  firm  but  parental  discipline  ;  so  that  in  subse- 
quent days,  the  energies  of  the  mind,  thus  prepared, 
were  made,  like  '  nimble  and  airy  servitors/  to  accom- 
plish, at  the  bidding  of  their  possessor,  results  of  use- 
fulness to  man  ?  Who  ever  thinks  of  the  Paleys,  the 
Horsleys,  the  Pitts,  the  Grenvilles,  and  the  Cannings  of 
England,  without  having  his  mind  turned,  in  reveren- 
tial acknowledgment,  to  those  great  foundations,  where 
these  master  spirits  received,  in  the  days  of  childhood 
and  of  youth,  their  intellectual  culture  ?  It  is  by  edu- 
cation that  the  character  is  formed.  This  work  begins 
beneath  the  parental  roof:  it  is  carried  on  under  the 
subsequent  guardianship  of  schools  :  and  at  length, 
within  these  retreats  of  science  and  of  letters,  it  re- 


39 

ceives  the  finishing  touch.  If,  then,  my  fellow-alumni, 
Columbia  College  has  given  such  men  to  the  world, 
let  us  seek  to  sustain  her  character,  in  those  various 
spheres  of  life  in  which  our  lot  has  been  cast.  We 
have,  some  of  us,  long  since  ceased  to  pursue  our  tran- 
quil way,  under  the  shelter  of  her  academic  bowers. 
But  let  our  hearts  still  cherish  her  remembrance,  and 
aim  after  her  good.  Let  us  uphold  her,  through  evil 
and  through  good  report.  Let  us  proclaim  her,  in  this 
great  community,  to  be  what  she  is : — and,  if  men 
shall  ask  us  what  she  can  do,  let  us  point  them  to 
what  she  has  done  ! 

But  this  continued  interest  in  the  prosperity  of  our 
venerated  mother  is  not  the  only  form,  in  which  the 
student  who  has  been  nurtured  within  her  walls  should 
manifest  his  gratitude  for  the  blessings  she  has  be- 
stowed. She  calls  upon  her  younger  sons  to  pursue, 
through  life,  those  liberalizing  studies,  the  taste  for 
which,  during  the  hours  of  their  collegiate  career,  it 
was  her  great  object  to  create,  or  to  foster.  It  will,  I 
trust,  not  be  considered  as  any  attempt  to  disparage 
those  other  branches  of  useful  learning,  which  form 
part  of  the  course  of  instruction  here  pursued,  if  I 
urge  upon  the  young  men  who  have  emerged  from 
this  honoured  seat  of  letters,  and  are  now  engaged  in 
the  active  pursuits  of  the  world,  the  importance  of  a 
diligent  attention  to  classical  attainments.  In  giving 
prominence  to  this  department  of  study,  my  apology 
must  be,  that  of  that  which  a  man  chiefly  loves,  he 
will  be  most  apt  to  speak. 

One  of  the  most  evil  signs  of  our  times,  for  some 
years  past,  in  a  literary  point  of  view,  has  been  a  dis- 
position to  undervalue  that  acquaintance  with  the  lan- 
guage and  the  literature  of  ancient  Greece  and  Rome, 


40 

which  must  always  form  the  basis  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion ;  and  the  continued  cultivation  of  which,  after  the 
days  of  academic  life  are  past,  is  the  only  right  path 
to  the  attainment  of  professional  excellence.  The 
eloquence  of  the  senate  needs  the  indescribable,  but 
happy  influence  of  these  studies.  It  would  be  impos- 
sible to  find,  in  any  deliberative  assembly  throughout 
the  world,  a  more  powerful  concentration  of  intellect, 
than  that  which  is  presented  within  the  walls  of  our 
Houses  of  Congress.  Yet  who  will  deny,  that,  in  read- 
ing or  hearing  many  of  the  speeches  there  delivered, 
we  feel  the  want  of  that  classical  finish,  which  so  pecu- 
liarly distinguishes  the  oratory  of  the  British  Parlia- 
ment ;  and  the  possession  of  which  has  rendered  the 
efforts  of  Pitt,  Fox,  Burke,  Brougham,  Wilberforce, 
Canning,  and  Peel,  as  harmonious  and  graceful  in  lan- 
guage, as  they  are  profound  in  argument?  The  elo- 
quence of  the  bar,  too,  must  be  formed  by  this  prepa- 
ratory discipline  ;  and  we  can  require  no  higher  proof 
of  its  advantage,  than  that  which  was  exhibited  in 
every  public  display  of  the  late  distinguished  Thomas 
Addis  Emmet.  The  pulpit,  also,  needs  the  same  ma- 
gical aid  to  effective  speaking.  The  thorough  scho- 
lar is  there  known,  not  by  labored  classical  illustra- 
tion, improperly  supplanting  that  which  the  sacred 
volume  supplies ;  but  by  the  precision  and  directness 
of  his  phraseology.  In  the  severe  and  simple  school  of 
the  ancient  masters,  he  has  learned  to  form  his  taste ; 
to  express  himself  with  conciseness ;  to  prune  away 
redundancies;  and,  entering  at  once  upon  his  subject, 
to  carry  it  on  with  point  and  vigor  to  its  final  close. 

Let  no  man,  then,  whose  vocation  it  is  to  promote 
the  good  of  his  fellow-beings,  in  either  of  these  learned 
and  dignified  callings,  be  tempted  to  forego  so  efficient 


41 

an  instrument  of  usefulness,  as  the  study  of  the  ancient 
models.  Passing  strange  it  is,  that  by  so  many  among 
our  statesmen,  our  lawyers,  and  our  clergy,  these  pro- 
ductions are  laid  upon  the  shelf;  while,  by  way  of 
indemnifying  themselves  for  the  loss,  they  contentedly 
resort  to  the  diluted  streams  of  translation,  instead  of 
ascending  to  the  living  waters  that  gush  from  the  pure, 
original  fountain.  Our  Alma  Mater  asks  a  different 
return  from  her  children.  She  commands  us,  while 
she  this  day  points  to  the  catalogue  of  her  illustrious 
dead,  to  show  our  sense  of  the  benefits  she  has  ren- 
dered, by  our  assiduous  cultivation  of  those  refining 
and  elevating  studies,  which  it  has  so  long  been  her 
glory  to  inculcate.  Let  us  obey  her  call.  The  classics 
are  the  public  man's  ornament.  Nay,  more :  they 
carry  a  refreshment  with  them  into  every  department 
of  daily  pursuit.  The  associations  which  they  bring  in 
their  train,  embellish  and  alleviate  the  toils  of  exist- 
ence : — curce  casusque  levamen — throwing  a  charm  and 
a  gilding  over  the  drudgery  of  this  weary  world — lend- 
ing a  dignity  to  misfortune — and  expanding  the  mind 
with  an  influence,  which  he  that  has  cultivated  these 
resources  knows  to  be  real ;  and  which  he  who  has 
them  not,  can  never  feel. 

Inhabitants  of  this  city  !  To  you  we  would  this 
day  commend  our  valued  and  bountiful  Mother,  as 
worthy  of  your  affection.  To  you  let  me  speak  of  her, 
on  the  ground  of  her  actual  character,  and  great  ad- 
vantages. For  I  utter  not  the  language  of  partial 
praise,  neither  shall  I  crave  pardon  for  what  may  seem 
to  be  invidious  comparison,  in  saying,  that  Columbia 
College  boldly  challenges  competition  with  her,  in  any 
one  of  those  departments  of  knowledge,  on  which,  as  a 
solid  foundation,  is  erected  the  superstructure  of  future 
6 


42 

usefulness  and  influence.  And  the  reason  of  this  su- 
periority is  obvious.  Here,  the  pupil  is  brought  under 
the  immediate  instructions,  not  of  imperfectly  qualified 
tutors,  needing  themselves  to  be  instructed,  and  using, 
perad venture,  the  office  of  a  teacher  but  as  a  stepping- 
stone  to  some  ulterior  object, — but  of  the  professors 
themselves;  whose  matured  minds,  and  rich  experience, 
are  thus  enjoyed  by  every  student  within  these  walls. 
Here,  too, — and  let  not  this  privilege  be  forgotten, — 
while  the  young  of  our  metropolis  receive  intellectual 
culture,  they  are  enjoying,  at  the  same  time,  the  inesti- 
mable oversight,  and  various  blessings,  of  the  domestic 
mansion.  Thus  mental  and  moral  training  may  here 
go  hand  in  hand  :  and  the  youthful  aspirant  after  lite- 
rary acquirements  will  not  be  left  to  the  dominion  of 
those  wayward  propensities,  which,  when  he  is  an 
exile  from  the  sacred  precincts  of  home,  lose  their  most 
effectual  safeguard,  in  being  no  longer  bound  by  the 
silken  cords  of  parental  authority  and  love. 

Instructress  of  our  earlier  years !  On  this  day  of 
heart-stirring  and  glorious  recollections,  we  lay  at  thy 
feet  the  free-will  offering  of  our  hearts,  and  bid  thee 
hail  in  thy  future  career  of  beneficent  exertion.  May 
thy  coming  days  add  new  trophies  to  those  which  thou 
hast  already  reared,  to  testify  that  thou  hast  well  re- 
deemed thy  trust !  And,  above  all,  may  those  youth, 
who,  in  after  periods,  shall  issue  forth,  band  after  band, 
from  thy  hallowed  retreat,  never  forget,  that  for  privi- 
leges received,  there  is  responsibility  incurred ;  and 
that  they  will  best  repay  thy  blessings  by  bearing  en- 
graved upon  their  memories  the  lesson,  that  learning  is 
but  an  instrument  conferred  by  heaven,  for  promoting 
the  interests  of  our  universal  species,  and  the  glory  of 
our  Maker,  Redeemer,  and  God. 


POEM. 


BY    WILLIAM    BETTS,    A.   M 


POEM. 


Intent  to  terminate  their  baleful  feud, 

On  Moreh's  plain  the  ancient  patriarchs  stood, 

Their  mighty  wealth  increas'd  beyond  control, 

One  country  seem'd  too  little  for  the  whole ; 

For  all  the  bounties  Heaven  designs  to  bless, 

Man's  vile  perverseness  turns  to  wretchedness. 

Their  countless  flocks  secure  around  them  play, 

Their  anxious  herdsmen  nigh  them  sullen  stray, 

Those  slaves,  whose  strifes  their  masters  now  expel 

From  each  familiar  tent  and  cooling  well ; 

And  whilst  their  minds  were  hung  in  equipoise 

'Twixt  future  ills  and  dearly  cherish'd  joys, 

A  bitter  pang  pierc'd  through  each  patriarch's  heart. 

Reluctant  still,  tho'  still  resolv'd  to  part. 

Far  in  the  west,  Judaea's  mountains  throw 
Their  gloomy  shadows  o'er  the  plains  below  ; 
Repulsive,  barren,  rude,  confus'd  they  lay, 
And  frown'd  each  bold  adventurer  away. 
Not  so  the  East ;  for  there  Gomorrah's  towers 
Rose  mid  green  vales  and  perfume  breathing  bowers, 
And  Sodom,  in  the  fumes  of  richness  steep'd, 
In  lazy  luxury  delighted  slept. 


46 

The  fragrance  rising  from  each  blossom'd  field, 
The  mighty  crops  those  fertile  pastures  yield, 
The  groves,  where  figs,  and  dates  and  olives  vie 
With  loaded  boughs  in  wanton  rivalry, 
The  palms,  whose  swelling  trunks  aspiring  high 
Spread  their  dark  branches  'gainst  the  azure  sky, 
Vines  after  countless  vines,  whose  bending  stems 
Scarce  bear  their  luscious  clusters,  bright  as  gems, 
Gomorrah's  grapes,  the  fairest  Earth  hath  borne, 
By  guilt  since  turned  to  bitterness  and  scorn, 
In  tranquil  slumber  all  serenely  lay, 
Beneath  the  Syrian  sunshine's  setting  ray. 
So  sunk  the  scene  appear'd  in  still  repose, 
So  full  of  joy,  so  free  from  mortal  woes, 
E'en  Jordan's  stream,  as  on  it  slowly  roll'd 
Through  the  fair  valley,  like  a  thread  of  gold, 
Dispensing  treasure,  almost  seem'd  excess, 
Mid  this  profuse,  surpassing  loveliness. 

*  Be  thine  the  choice,'  the  holy  Abraham  cried ; 
1  What'er  that  choice,  contented  I  abide ; 
4  For  me,  the  wilderness  no  terrors  bears, 
1  For  me  no  charms  the  fruitful  valley  wears ;. 
'  No  danger  e'er  can  Abraham's  steps  attend, 
■  For  Abraham's  God  is  ever  Abraham's  friend.' 

Pleas'd  with  the  prospect  of  profuse  excess, 
To  Lot  such  reas'ning  seem'd  as  foolishness. 
He  saw  not,  he,  the  wisdom  that  decides 
To  turn  from  good  that  bounteous  Heav'n  provides  ; 
And  madness  absolute  it  seem'd,  to  be 
Indifferent  'twixt  wealth  and  poverty. 

*  Those  barren  hills  but  scanty  food  provide, 

*  For  me,  my  household  and  my  flock  beside, 


47 

*  While  in  yon  vale,  with  teeming  plenty  bless'd, 
'E'en  were  my  wealth  a  thousand  times  increas'd, 
'  Their  utmost  wants  were  easily  supplied, 

*  To  thrice  their  number  were  they  multiplied/ 

So  reason'd  Lot,  and  turn'd  his  eager  eyes 
To  the  gay  fields  that  bright  before  him  rise, 
Nor  thought  that  barren  mountain-sides  reveal 
The  venom'd  serpent  blossom' d  meads  conceal  ; 
That  when  base  man  by  Heav'n  to  toil  was  doom'd, 
E'en  on  that  thorn  a  flow'ret  straightway  bloom'd, 
And  the  same  fountains,  that  our  wants  supply, 
Full  floods  of  pleasure  e'er  accompany. 
So  reason'd  Lot,  nor  thought  in  those  soft  skies, 
What  baneful,  death-dispensing  mists  might  rise, 
What  loathsome  ills  that  teeming  soil  might  nurse, 
And  seeming  blessings  prove  severest  curse. 
So  reasons  Man  ;  though  Nature's  book  divine 
Be  open'd  wide,  and  each  resplendent  line 
Lit  by  the  torch  of  wisdom ;  tho'  the  hand 
Of  sage  Experience,  prompt  at  our  demand, 
Is  e'er  prepared  to  turn  from  page  to  page, 
And  teach  the  past,  the  future  to  presage  ; 
Yet,  stupid  man,  to  slothfulness  inclin'd, 
Gropes  idly  on,  contented  to  be  blind, 
And  better  loves  the  sluggish,  slumb'ring  night, 
Than  the  rude  labour  of  the  rising  light. 
So  reasons  Man  ;  nor  thinks  his  mortal  foe 
Delights  his  loathsome  legions  thick  to  strew 
In  earth's  choice  places  ;  well  his  toils  he  lays, 
Wealth  tempts  to  sloth,  and  sloth  to  death  betrays. 

When  guilty  man,  by  toil  and  sorrow  scourg'd 
From  Eden's  bowers,  his  way  reluctant  urg'd, 


48 

Then  did  relenting  Heaven  on  Toil  bestow 
The  power  to  heighten  joy,  and  soften  wo. 

See  from  created  earth's  remotest  years, 
What  blessed  fruit  the  tree  of  labour  bears, 
And  in  the  powers  of  body,  sense,  or  mind, 
That  Toil  and  Excellence  are  ever  joined. 
Of  the  broad  world,  survey  the  varied  dress 
Of  wanton  wealth,  or  utter  barrenness, 
With  Toil,  the  fairest  scene  cannot  dispense, 
To  Toil  the  vilest  yields  its  recompense. 
Behold  the  works  of  human  skill,  where  art 
Assaults  the  senses,  to  subdue  the  heart ; 
Tho'  Genius  first  the  crude  design  conceives, 
Toil,  patient  Toil  alone,  the  work  achieves ; 
And  last,  the  vast  variety  of  man, 
From  almost  brute  to  almost  angel,  scan ; 
And  the  plain  difference  we  soon  detect, 
In  mind's  improvement,  or  in  mind's  neglect. 

In  those  remote  and  dim  mysterious  lands, 
Where  Ham's  dark  empire  still  ascendant  stands, 
Look  where  majestic  Quorra  rolls  his  tides, 
As  south  by  Garnicassa  slow  he  glides, 
What  time  from  her  high  seat  the  Queen  of  night 
Pours  on  his  breast  a  flood  of  tropic  light — 
That  light  which  none  but  tropic  climes  have  seen, 
So  lustrous,  clear,  and  placidly  serene. 
From  Garnicassa's  mud-built  hovels  come 
The  sounds  of  music,  and  the  vocal  hum 
Of  merry  voices;  joyful  groupes  advance, 
And  twine  on  Q,uorra's  shore  the  midnight  dance ; 
See  !  how  the  dark-limb'd  maidens  upward  spring, 
And  in  fantastic  forms  their  bodies  fling ; 


49 

Hark  !  what  loud  peals  of  laughter  break  the  night, 
As  each  sinks  down  exhausted  with  delight : 
Of  ancient  sires  and  aged  matrons  stand 
A  happy  multitude  on  Quorra's  strand, 
And  ever  hail  with  sympathetic  voice, 
Their  children  in  their  triumphings  and  joys. 
Sad  group  !  such  scenes  of  seeming  happiness 
Wake  the  vile  theme,  that  ignorance  is  bliss. 
Here  Folly  lingers,  with  malignant  breath, 
From  sports  of  innocence  extracting  death  ; 
For  oft  in  flow'rs  her  venom  has  she  found, 
And  poison'd  wisdom,  where  she  fear'd  to  wound. 
Short  dream  of  pleasure  !  as  the  tender  shoot 
That  in  thin  soil  extends  its  narrow  root, 
Hefresh'd  by  morning  dews,  doth  quickly  rise, 
But  droops  in  summer's  midday  sun,  and  dies  ; 
E'en  thus,  the  joy  that  mind  no  nurture  gives, 
Scarce  the  same  hour  that  sees  its  birth,  survives. 
Look  but  within  them,  and  their  minds  survey, 
How  quick  the  scene  of  pleasure  fades  away ; 
Like  a  deep  cavern,  desolate  and  dark, 
There,  never  shines  an  intellectual  spark, 
And  there,  in  gloom  congenial,  listless  lie, 
Of  sloth  and  ignorance  the  progeny  : 
Or  as  some  old  and  long  neglected  field, 
Whose  cultur'd  soil  prolific  crops  might  yield, 
Untouch'd  by  plough,  with  wholesome  seed  unstrown, 
With  noxious  weeds  and  nettles  is  o'ergrown  ; 
E'en  so  their  minds,  unus'd  to  exercise, 
Teem  with  the  fruit  of  rank,  spontaneous  vice. 
Grateful  for  good,  to  treason  soon  they  haste, 
Greedy  of  gain,  but  ever  prone  to  waste  ; 
7 


50 

Their  cruel  anger  danger  soon  dismays, 
And  the  fierce  heart  the  palsied  hand  betrays ; 
With  the  short  present  their  dull  thoughts  employ 'd, 
The  past  and  future  are  an  equal  void ; 
The  joys  of  sense,  as  idols  they  adore, 
And,  save  their  Fetish,  own  no  higher  Pow'r. 
But  not  to  sable  Africa  confin'd 
Is  this  sad  picture  of  a  sluggish  mind : 
No  !  tho'  with  us,  hypocrisy,  and  pride, 
And  wealth,  and  polish'd  luxury  may  hide, 
With  shrubs,  and  trees,  and  flow'rs  around  its  brink, 
The  pool  of  idleness  ;  approach  to  drink, 
See  the  green  scum  its  sluggish  face  o'erspread, 
Feel  the  vile  vapour,  rising  from  its  bed, 
And  turn  away  : — as  in  neglected  mind, 
Death  and  disgust  alone  you  there  may  find ; 
In  that  dull  pool  no  image  e'er  descends, 
Of  the  sweet  Heav'n  that  bright  above  it  bends. 
Now  turn  to  other  climes,  where  wealthy  Ind, 
Upon  her  rich  and  gorgeous  throne  reclin'd, 
Sits  in  the  majesty  of  ancient  birth, 
The  awful  mother  of  the  later  earth. 
A  hundred  provinces  her  will  obey, 
And  at  her  feet,  their  countless  treasures  lay, 
A  hundred  princes  own  their  subject  powers, 
From  high  Thibet,  to  Ceylon's  heavenly  bowers ; 
From  unrecorded  ages,  vast  her  store 
Of  learning,  science  and  religious  lore ; 
Full-grown  like  Pallas,  sprung  from  parent-earth, 
Her  arts  appear  coeval  with  her  birth. 
Look  where  Ellora's  wondrous  caves  display 
The' labours  of  a  people  pass'd  away, 


51 

Whose  ancient  story  shuns  tradition's  light, 

And  mocks  conjecture  in  its  boldest  flight : 

Or  see  where  Ganges,  with  his  flow'ry  tides, 

By  Brahmin  lov'd,  majestically  glides, 

And  ever  pours  his  full  and  sacred  waves, 

Nor  heeds  the  hundred  cities  that  he  laves, 

By  mosque  and  palace  proudly  passes  by, 

And  mausoleum's'  gorgeous  vanity  ; 

But  lingers  ever  mid  the  fragrant  groves, 

Where  Hindoo  maidens  breathe  their  secret  loves, 

Their  timid  wishes  to  their  Ganges  sing, 

And  the  lov'd  lotus  on  his  bosom  fling. 

Amid  these  seats  of  might  and  loveliness, 
Of  learning's  treasures,  and  of  art's  excess, 
Divine  Philosophy  content  might  roam, 
And  gather  wisdom  in  her  native  home. 
Here  might  we  seek  the  cultivated  mind, 
Here  manners  kind,  benevolent,  refined, 
Mercy  and  Justice,  Firmness  undismay'd, 
And  Bounty  large,  in  lib'ral  deeds  display 'd  ; 
And  Charity,  the  dearest  child  of  Heav'n, 
Which  sees  no  ill,  but  soon  as  seen,  forgiv'n  ; 
And  fond  Affection,  in  whose  melting  ray, 
The  ice  of  Selfishness  dissolves  away ; 
Honour,  with  whom  to  doubt  is  to  desist, 
And  Truth,  whom  none  successfully  resist. 

Ah  no  !  like  gems  before  the  senseless  beast, 
Dull  Sloth  has  spurn'd  the  treasures  of  the  East, 
And  stupidly  content,  unhappy  lies, 
Amid  the  fetid  heaps  that  round  her  rise. 
See  from  her  filth,  a  throng  of  demons  spring, 
With  loathsome  face,  and  foul  extended  wing, 


52 

Envoys  select,  from  Brahma's  Pantheon  borne, 

Their  vile  credentials  in  their  features  worn. 

Base  Treachery,  affecting  joy  to  feel, 

While  myrtle  blossoms  hide  his  murd'rous  steel ; 

And  Cunning,  from  whose  small  and  glancing  eye, 

Truth  sick'ning  turns,  nor  turns  without  a  sigh ; 

Voluptuous  Pleasure,  by  herself,  betray 'd, 

And  gloomy  Pride  in  tinsell'd  robes  array'd  ; 

Cold  Selfishness,  that  turns  the  heart  to  ice, 

And  greedy  Waste,  engend'ring  avarice ; 

Unholy  Falsehood,  fearing  human-kind, 

And  Cruelty  with  Cowardice  combin'd. 

These  are  thy  idols,  hapless  Ind !  to  these, 

The  fruitful  brood  of  indolence  and  ease, 

The  haughty  Brahmin  yields  uncheck'd  control, 

And  the  poor  Pariah  bends  his  abject  soul. 

Ah  !  who  in  this  foul  tribe  could  e'er  descry 

Eternal  Vishnu's  rightful  progeny? 

That  mighty  Spirit,  He  !  whose  quick'ning  breath, 

When  chaos  slept  in  elemental  death, 

Mov'd  o'er  the  liquid  waste  abyss  of  night, 

And  wak'd  the  deep  to  beauty,  life  and  light ! 

If  such  the  sad  reverse  where  once  the  blaze 
Of  arts  and  learning  shed  refulgent  rays, 
Behold  the  western  star  of  Empire  shine, 
On  Japhet's  mighty  and  increasing  line. 

See  little  Athens,  midst  her  barren  soil, 
By  slow  degrees,  with  patient,  ceaseless  toil, 
Still  upward  rising,  more  and  more  renown'd, 
Her  sunny  hills  with  matchless  temples  crown'd, 
Her  sculptur'd  forms,  at  whose  resplendent  blaze 
Of  wondrous  beauty,  still  content  to  gaze, 


53 

Succeeding  ages  never  dared  aspire, 
To  their  high  regions  of  celestial  fire ; 
Her  sages,  from  whose  swelling  treasures  flow 
Full  streams  of  wisdom  on  the  world  below ; 
Her  orators,  whose  sweet  persuasive  tongue 
Now  sooth'd  to  softness,  and  to  rage  now  stung ; 
Her  poets,  minstrels,  painters,  the  bright  band 
Of  that  illustrious  brotherhood,  who  stand 
Midway  'twixt  grov'ling  earth  and  swelling  sky, 
And  point  to  man  a  higher  destiny  : 
These  are  the  springs,  immortal  Athens !  whence 
Thy  empire  rose  to  lustrous  eminence  ; 
Thy  intellectual  sway  their  power  secures, 
And  in  their  fame  thy  glory  still  endures. 
Thee  captive  Rome  obey'd ;  but  for  thy  arts, 
Like  dew  descending  on  their  savage  hearts, 
But  for  thy  laws,  whose  firm  but  gentle  sway, 
From  brutal  passions  turn'd  them  slow  away, 
The  Roman  Rabble,  Tyrants  of  the  world, 
Perhaps  with  wild  ferocity  had  hurl'd 
Dismay  and  terror  on  the  frighted  earth, 
And  chas'd  away  all  virtue,  valour,  worth. 
Imperial  Rome  !  when  thy  first  fratricide 
With  royal  blood  thy  humble  walls  had  dyed, 
How  little  could  thy  feeble  tribes  descry 
The  splendour  of  thy  future  majesty, 
When  suppliant  kings  thy  guardian  pow'r  ador'd, 
And  prostrate  nations  own'd  thee  for  their  Lord. 
Imperial  Rome  !  though  on  thy  infant  state 
Surrounding  neighbours  pour'd  their  jealous  hate, 
And  by  a  mortal  and  malignant  blow, 
Aim'd  at  thy  quick  and  utter  overthrow ; 


54 

Tho'  midst  the  wasted  homes  that  round  thee  burn'd, 

Th'  insulting  Gaul  thy  anguish  rudely  spurn'd  ; 

Tho'  victor  Carthage,  thund'ring  at  thy  gate, 

Thy  being  threaten  d  to  annihilate, 

Thy  patient  struggles  and  unceasing  pain, 

A  higher  ground,  and  higher  still  would  gain, 

Till  rais'd  aloft,  thy  State  ferocious  frown'd 

In  haughty  grandeur  on  the  realms  around ; 

When  gentler  Greece  thy  savage  sons  refin'd, 

And  gave  thee,  Empire  o'er  the  human  mind. 

Thus  the  clear  lines  on  every  varied  page 
Of  earth's  large  volume,  in  each  rolling  age, 
In  every  clime,  the  self-same  lesson  show, — 
Toil  leads  to  joy,  and  indolence  to  wo. 
Tho'  ever  thus  corporeal  labour  leads 
Through  thorny  paths  to  fair  and  flow'ry  meads, 
Th'  aspiring  Mind,  successful  toil  requites 
With  larger  prospects  and  intense  delights. 

Ah  !  who  without  untiring  search  can  find 
The  boundless  treasures  of  the  mighty  mind  ? 
Who  can  disclose  the  sure  unfailing  thread, 
Through  its  dim  labyrinths  secure  to  tread  ? 
Who  find  the  key  to  ope  the  secret  doors 
Of  the  rich  chambers  of  its  hoarded  stores  ? 
Who  give  the  rod,  whose  bending  point  reveals 
Each  place  obscure,  its  hidden  gold  conceals  ? 

In  those  old  walls,  with  Learning's  labours  stor'd, 
O'er  which  a  thousand  moons  their  light  have  pour'd, 
Since  first,  by  pious  zeal  and  bounty  rear'd, 
Their  modest  structure  midst  the  fields  appear'd, 
And  on  whose  pulse  renew'd  this  morning's  sun, 
His  course  for  twice  five  lustres  full  has  run, — 


55 

Within  those  walls,  and  ever  nigh  at  hand, 
The  guiding  thread,  the  key,  the  mystic  wand. 

The  power  of  learning  and  of  labour  joined, 
Of  energy  and  intellect  combin'd, 
The  ancient  archives  of  those  halls  disclose, 
Since  first  their  old  colonial  spire  arose 
Where  England's  royal  crown  conspicuous  gleam'd, 
And  o'er  the  roofs  the  red-cross  banner  stream'd. 
Deriv'd  from  hence,  the  elements  we  see 
Of  Jay's  sound  sense  and  stern  integrity ; 
In  this  deep  soil,  enrich'd  by  labour's  dew, 
The  keen  sagacity  of  Morris  grew  ; 
Here  flow'd  the  streams,  whose  full  and  gushing  tide 
The  mind  of  youthful  Hamilton  supplied ; 
His  judgment  clear  and  ready  to  decide, 
His  energy,  which  every  power  applied 
Of  mind  and  body  ;  and  e'en  here  betray 'd 
The  greatness  that  his  later  life  display'd : 
Its  lesson  here  the  persevering  mind 
Of  Clinton  found,  to  toil  for  human-kind, 
And  here  the  pure  and  heavenly  heart  of  Moore, 
With  holy  hope  was  heavenward  taught  to  soar. 

Benignant  Mother  !     These,  a  chosen  few, 
Who  from  thy  breast  the  milk  of  knowledge  drew, 
Drawn  from  the  throng  of  that  extended  band, 
Illustrious  brotherhood  !  who  through  our  land, 
Sent  forth  those  toilsome  habits  to  pursue, 
Their  early  days  with  thee  familiar  knew, 
With  cultur'd  minds  and  painful  diligence, 
The  noblest  gifts  could  easily  dispense.    . 

Benignant  Mother  !  when  with  gladness  rife, 
The  spring-time  of  our  young  and  tender  life, 


56 

With  nature's  sunny  spring-time  sympathiz'd, 
And  all  its  flow'ry  pleasures  dearly  priz'd, 
How  dull  did  then  thy  sober  laws  appear, 
Thy  firm  and  wholesome  discipline,  severe, 
Thy. long  laborious  studies,  a  device 
Of  age,  to  cloud  young  nature's  Paradise, 
Nor  was  there  ought  of  fair  and  pleasing  seen, 
In  Toil's  rude  features  and  repulsive  mien. 
Mid  careless  joys,  how  little  then  they  thought 
Of  the  grave  truth  experience  since  has  taught, 
That  Sloth,  as  standing  pools  infect  the  air, 
Corrupts  sweet  nature's  purest  atmosphere  ; 
While  frigid  dulness,  warm'd  by  Labour,  lives, 
As  spring's  soft  touch  the  torpid  earth  revives. 

Auspicious  toil !  thy  universal  reign 
Spreads  through  creation's  infinite  domain, 
From  the  poor  ant,  whose  summer  cares  procure 
A  scanty  pittance  for  his  winter  store, 
To  the  bright  Seraphim,  who,  high  above, 
Engirt  in  beams  of  living  light  and  love, 
With  glad  continual  service  e'er  fulfill 
The  sovereign  dictates  of  the  Almighty  will ; 
And  all,  through  wide  creation's  bounds,  confess 
Thy  power  to  soothe,  to  solace  and  to  bless. 


ODES. 


AD  ALMAM  MATREM. 


Terram  coronis  dulce  virentibus 
Post  lustra  Taurus  jam  decorat  decern, 
Lenesque  spirantes  amorem  et 
Laetitiam  Zephyri  tulere, 
A  vere  dulci  quo  Dea  Candida, 
Virtus  Honori  quam  tulit  impigra, 
Superba  Libertas,  redempta 
Imperio  patria  tyranni, 
Artes  jubebal  surgere  liberas 
Aramque  Nymphis  Pieriis  novam 
Ponebat.      O  Mater  refulsit 
iEdibus  ore  tuis  benigno. 
Aulee  madebant  puniceo  tuae 
Tinctoe  cruore,  et  nunc  vacua  Dolor 
Stabat  cathedra  :  Spes  manebat 
Sola  tibi  impavidumque  pectus. 
Spiravit  in  te  Diva  animam  novas 
Vitae  et  vocavit  nomine  patrio 
Nostra  urbe  Regina  laboris 
Hesperii  decori  futuram. 
Umbrasque  Romae  et  jussit  Achaiae 
Sedere  mcestas  porticibus  tuis 
Exempla  virtutis  daturas 
Perpetui  et  studii  juventae. 


60 


Turn  lseta  carum  grataque  filium 
Dead  patronse  jam  tibi  creditum 
Tu  nutriisti  qui  venustas 
Reddidit  Oceano  gementi 
Natas  secutce  quag  fuerant  aquis     - 
Solem  cadentem  in  Pacificum  mare. 
Per  oeva  laudi  vel  adempti, 
Mater,  erit  tibi  nomen  ejus. 
Pluresque  clari  consilio  et  Foro 
Jactant  alumnos  se  memores  tuos 
Calente  qui  gaudent  senecta 
Lauribus  ante  tibi  tributis. 
Vocamus  Almam  et  rite  Columbiam 
Te  nos  docentern  Isetitiae  vias, 
Cauteque  fundamen  salutis 
Jam  patriae  bene  munientem. 
Multos  per  annos  sit  tibi  gloria 
A  filiis  quos  tollis  konoribus, 
iEtate  maturaque  redd  ant 
Munera  queis  decoras  juventam. 


Gulielmus  C.  Russel,  A.  M. 


ODE 


FOR  THE  FIRST  SEMI-CENTENNIAL  ANNIVERSARY  OF  THE  INCORPORATION 
OF  COLUMBIA  COLLEGE. 


The  time-worn  piles  of  other  climes 
Where  prisoned  Science  holds  her  seat, 

Reared  in  the  dark  barbaric  times 
By  tyrant  King  or  bigot  Priest ; 

ii. 
Where,  as  the  Sun  through  painted  lights 

A  false  and  duller  radiance  throws, 
So  Learning,  dimmed,  disguised,  invites 

By  ways  directed  by  her  foes, 

in. 
Not  such  Columbia !  are  thy  halls, 

By  freemen  raised  beyond  the  seas, 
Where  Knowledge,  liberated,  calls 

With  bolder  voice  her  votaries : 

IV. 

And  those,  thy  sons,  in  Freedom's  cause 
Dismissed  to  paths  where  Glory  led — 

And  knowledge  hence  new  vigor  draws 
From  sacred  blood  for  Freedom  shed. 


62 


v. 

So,  parted  often,  here  unite, 

Science  and  Freedom,  natural  friends ; 
Freedom  shall  rise  more  firm,  more  bright — 

Blest  in  the  light  that  Science  lends  : 

VI. 

Science,  with  drooping  wings,  no  more 
Shall  fail  beneath  a  Despot's  eye, 

But  mounting,  farther,  wider  soar 
With  the  twin  eagle  Liberty. 

VII. 

Oh  may  the  fire,  borne  from  afar, 

Here  nursed,  flame  with  a  steady  blaze, 

Whose  far-seen  light,  as  of  a  star, 
Shall  send  to  ev'ry  land  its  rays. 

VIII. 

Then  pilgrims  to  whose  longing  sight, 
The  splendors  of  our  isle  shall  rise, 

Shall  fix  their  gaze  where  sparkling  bright 
Columbia's  turrets  pierce  the  skies. 

William  Duer,  A.  B. 


N.  B.  The  Greek  Ode  of  Professor  Anthon  was  put  into  the 
hands  of  a  musical  composer,  with  a  view  to  its  performance  with 
the  others,  at  the  Celebration ;  but  from  the  disappointment  occa- 
sioned by  that  person,  this  part  of  the  arrangement  was  defeated ; 
and  from  his  not  returning  the  manuscript  of  the  Greek  Ode,  pro- 
bably from  having  lost  or  mislaid  it,  and  the  Professor's  retaining 
no  copy,  its  publication  is  necessarily  omitted. 


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9  40      V 


